


And Then

by theswearingkind



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-29
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-28 21:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/996911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theswearingkind/pseuds/theswearingkind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because what Patrick figures out, and pretty damn fast, too, is that guys really like him, and he really likes guys. He really likes guys a <i>lot</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Then

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at LJ in 2007. Thanks to tinheart for beta'ing.

So what happens is, video of Gabe having a threesome with this really hot blonde girl and this even hotter blonde guy hits the internet, and suddenly Gabe is, like, not just pop-punk famous, but _really_ famous.  The next time they have a Decaydance thing, the number of camera crews in attendance is hugely high, and Gabe can’t set foot near the arena without getting swamped.

 _Fuck you guys,_ he laughs, when they all call him on it.  _Just ‘cause you couldn’t handle it—_

 _I totally could!_ Pete says.  _Maybe not Patrick, though._

And Patrick is like, _whatever, man_ , but Pete won’t shut up about it.  He’s all, _no, man, you’d totally cave after, like, an hour of that shit.  You couldn’t handle coming out,_ and then Patrick is like, _good thing I’m straight, then._ And that should totally be the end of it, but, hello, Pete and Gabe.

And later, at the after party, they start up again, only now most of the fucking label is there, and someone says something like, _dude, I would pay a million dollars to see you deal with that shit for one day,_ and a couple people agree, and then Pete is like, _hey, seriously.  Do it and I’ll give you a thousand bucks._

And Patrick is like, _yeah, sure, okay_ , but the way he says it means _no, not happening, feel free to kick yourself in the balls._

But Pete is Pete and he doesn’t know when to stop, so he says, _C’mon, Stumpy.  A thousand bucks for a month of media attention, man.  I need a break from the spotlight._

And at first Patrick is all, _dude, I’m not gay_ , andthen he’s like, _I could completely handle the coming-out part, but I couldn’t handle what would happen after that, you know, when I say—hey, just kidding!  Please don’t shoot us, GLAAD._  

 _Just go out with some chick then,_ Gabe says helpfully.  _They don’t follow me around if I’m with a girl._

But Patrick is still like, _I definitely think not._

And then everybody’s like, _whatever, be a pussy, don’t take the bet._

And that tiny little bit of Patrick that still wants to punch and yell and blow shit up, anger-management guy, rears his head for a second, and he’s like, _fuck all of you, I’ll do it._

And so he doesn’t come out, exactly, so much as let himself get caught making out with some random scene kid that Gabe brings by one day, because people will think what they want to think and a picture is worth a thousand words, especially if it’s on Buzznet by five. 

And, like, he gets hit on pretty much all the time now.  He’s kind of—not freaked out, that makes it sound like it’s a bad thing, but…shocked?  That people are interested?  And maybe he’s always been this intriguing, it just took him a while to find his niche. 

Because what he figures out, and pretty damn fast, too, is that guys really like him, and that he really likes guys.  He really likes guys a _lot_.  (And so maybe one time back on Warped he got pretty drunk and woke up pantsless in Gerard’s bunk _with Gerard_ , but mostly this is a surprise to him.) 

And Pete keeps making these comments, like, _you must be getting tired of this_ , or, _looking forward to the end of the month, Stumpy?_ and, _half our demographic is going to die of heartbreak in a couple weeks, Patrick._ And he’s always joking, but his eyes don’t match his face, his tone of voice. 

And then, at the end of the month, Pete throws him a surprise coming-in party.  And Patrick is like, _dude, you shouldn’t have_ , and Pete’s laughing and saying, _come on, you’re my best friend, and you’re finally admitting it: you like girls, c’mon, where’s your straight pride?_

And then Patrick is like, _no, Pete, really.  You shouldn’t have_. 

And then Pete gets it, more or less.

(But he makes Patrick tell him anyway _.  I, uh.  I didn’t take the bet just so I’d have an excuse to do it,_ Patrick says. 

 _I—dude, I didn’t know,_ Pete says, and he won’t stop looking at the floor. 

 _Me neither,_ Patrick says, _but I’m.  I’m good, Pete.  Like, keep the money, okay?_

Pete snorts and says _, uh, yeah, okay.  Whatever.  Like I was even gonna pay up._

 _And there’s—there’s this guy,_ Patrick says, and sort of smiles, and Pete thinks he might break.)

And Pete kind of freaks out, because whoever this guy is, he hates him, and that’s not cool, because Patrick’s his best friend and if Patrick likes somebody, Pete should, too.  Except he doesn’t, and the past six years make a lot more sense now. 

So he kind of freaks out.  He kind of freaks out for a long time, and Patrick maybe starts to think that Pete hates him now, and so _he_ freaks out, too, and in the background is always this guy, this guy that Pete has never met and never wants to meet, this guy Patrick likes and Pete hates so fiercely. 

And eventually it gets back to Pete that Patrick thinks he’s weirded out by Patrick being all gay now, or bi, or experimenting or whateverthefuck, which is ridiculous because _hi_ , and Pete spends two weeks trying to figure out what to say and is finally just like, _dude, no_ , and then Patrick wants to know why Pete is being so crazy, and Pete won’t say no matter how mad Patrick gets, and so they fight for a long time, and finally Pete kind of blurts it out. 

 _Patrick, I.  I think.  You’ve got to.  There’s just no way, man,_ he says, and just sort of touches Patrick’s hand.  _I can’t_ _even talk around you anymore_.  

Patrick’s eyes are kind of wide and unfocused.  _I—man, I didn’t know_ , he says.

 _Me neither_ , Pete says.  _Sorry about the timing._

_Look, Pete, I.  I mean, I’m with—_

_Yeah, no, I get it, man.  It’s cool.  I just figured you deserved to know why I was being so sketchy, right?_

_Yeah.  Okay_ .  Patrick inhales, stares at the floor.  _I’ve gotta—I’ve gotta go, Pete.  I need to—_

_Okay, sure, see you later._

And then Patrick’s gone and Pete is maybe as miserable as he’s ever been, and that’s saying something, and if it weren’t for Pete and his big stupid mouth and his never knowing when not to push—

Four hours later, while Pete is staring at the cabinet where he keeps his pills, Patrick comes back.   _I’m not a cheater_ , he says.  _I’ve never been—I’m not going to be that guy, Pete._

_Yeah, I know.  I wouldn’t—_

_That’s why I had to go_ , Patrick says.  _I had to tell him.  About us_. 

Us is maybe the most beautiful word Pete has ever heard. 

And Pete feels like maybe they should fight a little bit more, just for the symmetry of it, but then Patrick kisses him, and he kind of forgets about fighting in the rush of _yes_ and _please_ and _goddamn stupid girl jeans_.

 _Why didn’t you just say something?_ Patrick asks, after. 

 _I thought you were straight.  And it was easier, dude, not telling you.  Easier than telling you and having you—I don’t know.  Freak out.  Or like somebody else._   Pete shifts, won’t meet Patrick’s gaze. _If you hadn’t come back, Patrick—_

_Don’t, okay.  I did._

And then, and then. 


End file.
